Trade-off likely over sandspit

Residents Pat Heffey and James Johnston with the spit in the background. Picture / Martin Sykes

Northland residents fighting to protect a cherished coastal landmark are likely to be offered a tradeoff in an effort to get at least some of them onside.

Controversy has raged for decades over the privately-owned Ngunguru sandspit near Whangarei . Former owner Bob Green met fierce opposition each time he came up with a subdivision plan, including a 2001 proposal for 21 separate "farmlets" around the spit, which is classified as a coastal hazard zone and has a flood plain.

Mr Green, now in his 70s, sold to entrepreneur Greg Olliver's Auckland-based company Landco in 2003.

Locals have long been suspicious of Landco's plans and relations were not improved at a "consultation evening" last week when the company asked around 200 residents for "feedback" while at the same time refusing to reveal anything of its plans.

"It was really weird, like asking someone for dinner and presenting them with an empty plate," says James Johnston, who returned to Ngunguru from Auckland to live seven years ago.

"I think Landco will come up with something that's very palatable in an environmental sense, but to me any form of development is out of the question."

The 118ha spit is 2.5km long and 300m to 600m wide with a covering of native grasses and an occasional pine or pohutukawa.

It stretches like a long finger between the ocean and the Ngunguru River which runs around its northern point and out to sea. The spit adjoins Whakareora Mountain to the south, where Landco owns another three blocks.

The deal Landco is likely to offer is to put the spit itself - in one title and independently valued at more than $37 million last year - into park or reserve land in return for a withdrawal of opposition to proposed subdivision on at least one of the other blocks to the south.

"That's like asking which leg do you want to cut off," said Northland diver and conservationist Wade Doak.

He argues that the spit and the land nearer the mountain are one.

Local iwi are already taking a fight over an approved subdivision at Whakareora to the Environment Court because the area is an ancient battleground and wahi tapu. The Landco-owned land has priceless remnants of mature native forest not seen anywhere else in Northland, Mr Doak says.

The tradeoff won't be accepted by residents, he believes.

"The vast majority of people up here will be opposed."

Landco spokesman George Hulbert bristles at the idea that the company might have been disingenuous in asking residents for their views on the future of the spit while leaving unanswered the question of what the company plans to do with it.

"We are not trying to be disingenuous here, we understand people have very strong feelings about the site," he said.